The Human Pride Lander
by FionaPendragon
Summary: When four-year-old Alanna and her parents are moved to Tanzania, Africa through a Witness Protection Program, her parents are brutally murdered before her by men from the mafia in the United-States. What happens when she's adopted by Kovu and Kiara and raised as one of their own? Read on and find out!
1. Chapter 1

**The Human Pride Lander**

 **Written by: SerenaBlackmore98**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! So, this is yet another story that has been stuck in my head for quite sometime now and me and my good friend have been brainstorming ideas for this story every chance we've had to hang out between classes.**

 **Disclaimer: I *obviously* don't own The Lion King or its characters or its songs (trust me, if I did, things would be different!) I only own my characters and my ideas for this fic! Everything else belongs to Disney.**

 **Summary: When four-year-old Alanna and her parents are moved to Tanzania, Africa through a Witness Protection Program, her parents are brutally murdered before her by men from the mafia in the United-States. What happens when she's adopted by Kovu and Kiara and raised as one of their own? Read on and find out!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**

 **Chapter 1:**

"Wow, such beautiful scenery!" a young brown-haired woman exclaimed in awe at the sight of the African Savannah.  
"It looks so peaceful." a tall, well-built young man with short black hair replied.  
"Pretty!" a little girl with long black hair exclaimed at the sight.  
"It is beautiful, but I still don't understand why we needed to leave our home to live here." The woman mumbled to the man.  
"I've already to you, Julia, we would be in terrible danger if we stayed there; think of Alanna" the man replied.  
"Maybe you should have thought of that before getting involved with a bad crowd, John." Julia snapped.  
"It's not my fault we needed the money at the time, honey; I had no other choice." John replied.  
"I know that; I just wish you would have gotten out of there before now." she replied.  
"It doesn't matter now; we'll be safe here." he smiled.

John and Julia Mills, along with their four-year-old daughter Alanna had been moved to a small village in Tanzania by the Witness Protection Program after John testified against his former gang; The Bronze Skull Soldiers in court about two months ago. The young family had been there for almost three weeks now and were finally seeing the great African Plains. The Family of three hopped into their Jeep and drove through the Savannah, admiring its beauty.

"John, look. Isn't it beautiful?" Julia asked her husband, pointing at the large rock formation deep in the heart of the Savannah.  
"Stunning," he replied in awe.

After stepping out of the Jeep to stretch his legs, John heard what sounded like a full magazine clip being loaded into an assault riffle a short distance away. Thinking quickly, John ordered:

"Alanna, hide under the seat and don't come out until its safe"

As the child did as she was told, multiple gunshots rang across the Savannah. Alanna hid underneath the back seat of the Jeep, squeezing her eyes shut and trying her best to not make a sound.

"I think we hit 'em!" a deep male voice exclaimed, now approaching the scene.  
"Yep, they're dead alright. The boss is going to be real pleased!" another male voice exclaimed; this one had what sounded like an Italian accent.

Alanna held her breath; if these men found her, surely, they would kill her too. Once she heard the two men leave the area, Alanna decided that she should be safe and got up from her hiding place.

Stepping out of the Jeep, the four-year-old girl was ultimately greeted by the sight of her parents, mortally wounded. The ground was bathed in crimson. The sight of the wounds inflicted upon her parents made the small child sick to her stomach. Finding a patch of tall grass, Alanna emptied her stomach, disgusted by the scene before her. Deciding it would be ideal for her to leave the area, the little girl set off into the African Savannah. After taking about twenty or so paces, the small child collapsed.

Princess Kiara of the Pride Lands, along with her mate Kovu, were laying on the large flat rocks just below Pride Rock when they were surprised by the sound of gunfire a little way from the watering hole.

"What was that?" Kiara asked.  
"I don't know, but we should probably look into it; make sure it's not one of the lionesses or anything" Kovu replied.

With that, the young couple walked towards the watering hole; the area in which the gunshots came from. Arriving at the scene, they were greeted by a gruesome sight; a young human couple had been brutally murdered, by their own kind no less. Walking around the area to examine it, Kiara stumbled upon a worrisome sight.

"Kovu!" she called out to her mate.  
"What is it?" he asked, approaching the golden-furred lioness.  
"It's a human child; I think it's still breathing" she replied.  
"What do we do?" the young lion asked.  
"We need to help her; she's just lost her parents, Kovu. She's completely helpless right now." The Pride Lander princess replied.  
"We should probably bring her to Rafiki; she could have been injured." Kovu suggested.

With that, Kovu gently placed the young girl onto his back and brought to Rafiki's tree. Upon arriving at setting the small child down into the tree, the young couple briefed the mandrill on the situation.

"We found her in some tall grass a little way west from the watering hole. There were two human adults with her; we assume they were the child's parents, but when we got there they were dead." Kiara explained.  
"Just leave it to old Rafiki! He'll see to it that the child is well." The mandrill assured.  
"Thank-you, Rafiki," the princess thanked.  
"I will keep you informed on the child's condition" he smiled.

Alanna awoke in an unfamiliar location; it appeared to be a large tree. She then began to think of the events that had transpired earlier; her parents were dead, and her father had ultimately saved her. While Alanna didn't really have fond memories with her father, nor did she remember him being around much, she realized her father did care about her after all.

"What's going on? Where am I? What happened?" she wondered out loud.  
"An excellent question, child." Rafiki replied, revealing himself to the girl.  
"Y-you can talk? But you're a monkey." The girl asked in surprise.  
"All creatures speak, child; you just need to listen." he replied.  
"Where am I? How'd I get here?" Alanna asked the mandrill.  
"You are in the tree of life, my dear child. As to how you got here, a young lion couple brought you here." he explained with a smile.  
"Two lions brought me here?" she asked in shock.  
"Yes, and I happen to know these two very well, child. Kovu and Kiara are two of the kindest creatures in the Pride Lands!" he reassured the child.  
"The… Pride Lands?" Alanna asked, confused.  
"That is where you are child! These lands are called the Pride Lands!" he clarified.  
"Those two lions who brought me here, where are they now?" the girl asked.  
"They are just outside. Would you like to meet them?" the shaman asked as the girl nodded in reply.

Stepping out of the tree first, Rafiki went on to inform the future rulers of the Pride Lands that the child was fine and wanted to meet them. From behind the wise mandrill, Alanna emerged. The first thing she noticed was the lion's coat; it was chestnut I color, and his mane was chocolate brown. He also had green eyes like her. The lioness had a beautiful golden pelt.

"Th-thank-you for saving me," she thanked shyly.  
"There's no need to thank us, err…" Kiara replied.  
"Alanna. My name is Alanna." she introduced.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alanna. My name is Kiara, and this is Kovu" the young lioness introduced.  
"Do you remember any of what happened to you?" Kovu asked her in a calm, soft voice.  
"All I remember is that we stopped for a minute, and then my dad told me to hide. Then there was a shooting sound. T-these two men showed up and started talking. After that, I felt sick and that's it." She explained.

Kovu and Kiara exchanged worried glances; did the girl know of her parents' untimely demise?

"I-I was sick because…because of how my parents were killed…" she added, tears forming in her eyes.

In her grief, Alanna took hold of the closest thing to her…which just happened to have been Kovu, catching the young lion off-guard. It was clear to him that the orphaned girl was looking for comfort. Thinking it would be the best thing to do, the prince of the Pride Lands gently placed his paw over the child's back comfortingly. Alanna was surprised by his action, but quickly moved past it. Kiara, watching this whole scene take place, smiled fondly towards her mate. The sight of him doing whatever he can to comfort this child warmed her heart. After the heartwarming moment, Alanna spoke up:

"What going to happen to me now?"

Kovu and Kiara exchanged a glance; they hadn't even thought about that! The two thought of the options they had; on one hand, they would bring her to the human village nearby and let the humans care for her, but while the two weren't humans themselves, they were well aware that human orphanages aren't necessarily the most ideal place for a child. On the other hand, what else could they do? Kiara and Kovu then looked into each other's eyes; both seemingly pleading to the other. After a moment of thought and mental synchronization, Kiara spoke.

"Well, either we could bring you back to the human village nearby, or we could bring you back to our pride. What do you think?" she asked the child. She figured it would be best to let the child have a say in her fate.

Alanna thought hard about her options for a moment; what would be best for her? Should she return to the village where it was likely they were going to place her in one of the orphanages? She's seen the conditions of those places. Not to mention, she's four-years-old, so it is very unlikely that she would even get adopted, but these two lions are seemingly interested in taking her in as one of their own.

"Y-you'd actually want to take me in?" the girl asked after a moment of reflection.  
"Yes, if that's what you want," Kovu smiled.  
"Okay!" Alanna smiled, grabbing onto Kovu's leg once more, making Kiara giggle.

With that, Kovu crouched down to allow the little girl to climb onto his back and made their way to pride rock.

It was nightfall by the time the two lions made it back to pride rock, Alanna had fallen asleep on Kovu's back. Prior to entering the den, the young couple were stopped by Simba.

"Where have you two been?" the king asked.  
"We were at Rafiki's tree," Kiara replied.

As Simba was about to ask his daughter what they were doing at Rafiki's tree, the child resting on Kovu's back mumbled something inaudible in her sleep and grabbed onto the young lion's neck, catching the king's attention.

"What happened?" he asked. If his daughter and son-in-law were bringing back a human child, something must have happened.  
"Her parents were killed; we found her unconscious in some tall grass, so we brought her to Rafiki" Kiara explained.  
"What do you plan on doing with her?" the lion king asked.  
"Well, we were thinking about taking her in." Kovu replied.  
"You want to adopt her?" Simba asked, making sure he heard Kovu correctly.  
"Yes," Kiara affirmed.  
"Are you two sure about this? A child is a huge responsibility." He asked, warning the two about the challenges of parenthood.  
"We are, Simba," Kovu smiled.  
"Kovu and I talked about it, and we both think that she's better off staying here with us; you know how bad the living conditions are in human orphanages. Besides, she seems to have taken a liking to Kovu." Kiara informed her father with a giggle.  
"I can see that," Simba chuckled in reply.  
"Alright, if you two think you can handle it; you have my blessing" the lion king exclaimed after a moment.  
"Thank-you, daddy." Kiara thanked, nuzzling her father before heading into the den.  
"Thanks, Simba," Kovu thanked in turn.  
"Does she have a name?" Simba asked the young lion in regard to the sleeping child on his back.  
"Alanna. Her name is Alanna." he replied.  
"You really care about this child, don't you?" the older lion asked.  
"Yeah, I can't explain it, but there's something about her…" Kovu replied.

With that, Kovu and Simba entered the den for the night. Finding his mate in their usual spot, Kovu made his way to her. As he made it to their spot, Alanna awoke slightly. Before laying down, Kovu crouched down, allowing Alanna to get down from his back. Alanna slept between him and Kiara, cuddling into Kovu's thick mane. Seeing this adorable scene unfold, Simba smiled; it was clear as day to him that they really cared about this child. As he prepared his mind to sleep, the lion king wondered exactly what the pride was going to think about this newest addition to the family.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter for 'The Human Pride lander'. To those of you who are reading my other story 'From Wishes to Reality', I'm working on it! I just have a bit of a block at the moment for that one, but hopefully my mind will get un-blocked soon, so I can update that for you guys. Moving on, I had a lot of fun writing this and I need to give a shout out to my best-friend Tenni for helping me develop this idea for the past week or so. I don't know when I'll get around to updating this one or 'From Wishes to Reality', but I'll try to make it soon! Please feel free to review this story, but please be nice! (I don't take criticism too well—or so I've been told and will not be putting up with no ridiculously rude people on the internet) So, that's all I have to say so until next time!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Human Pride lander**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! So here's chapter 2 of 'The Human Pride lander'! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Once again, shout out to my best friend Tenni for helping come up with ideas and for pretty much proof-reading my work to make sure it makes sense (because most of the time I'm working on my fanfics at night or during/in-between classes when I'm still tired). Without further ado, on with the story!**

 **Jem Boy: Don't hate me for this, but I actually am not very fond of The Lion Guard so the characters from the show will not be appearing in this fic; it's just the characters from the films and any OC's I create for the story. (Sorry!)**

 **EDIT: After a lot of consideration, I decided to re-write the story a bit and include The Lion Guard characters this time around. After seeing the "Lions of the Outlands" episode, I started to kind of enjoy the show.**

 **Disclaimer: Again, I don't own The Lion King or its Characters or songs; they all belong to Disney.**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98  
-**

 **Chapter 2:**

It's been a year since Alanna was welcomed to the pride landers, and the young princess was anxious to go explore the pride lands with her best friend, Tiffa today. As she was about to go down the stone steps of Pride rock, the five-year-old was stopped by her father.

"And where are we off to?" he asked.  
"Tiffa and I are going exploring!" she replied.  
"Alright, just be careful." Kovu warned.  
"I will, daddy." Alanna smiled, burying her face in her father's mane briefly before heading to the watering hole where she was to meet Tiffa.

As their daughter went off into the Pride lands, Kiara emerged from the den and nuzzled her mate.

"That girl is going to give me a heart attack one of these days," he sighed.  
"I think you handled that rather well; better than my father ever did with me" she replied.  
"I resent that," Simba's voice replied as he emerged from the den.  
"Face it, daddy, you were way worse with me than Kovu is with Alanna." Kiara stated.  
"I was not," Simba retorted, his daughter shooting him a look.  
"Kiara has a point, dad" Kion, Kiara's younger brother shimmed in.

Kion looked almost identical to Simba but has a vibrant red mane while his father's was much darker. Kion was the leader of the Lion Guard; a group comprised of Kion and his friends who protect the circle of life. He and the guard were away on a mission when Alanna joined their pride, but from the moment he saw the child, Kion vowed he would protect her from any harm.

"It's not my fault I worry about her." Kovu exclaimed.  
"And I understand that; trust me, I worry about her too, but you need to try to relax a bit, Kovu." Kiara replied, nuzzling her mate.

At the water hole, Alanna and Tiffa, a tan-colored lioness cub with deep dark brown eyes, met up and attempted to decide what they were going to do today. As they were trying to determine where to go, Alanna heard footsteps; bipedal footsteps; these steps were heavy and fast approaching. Suddenly, the source of these steps approached the watering hole; it was a human man. Fearing the worst, Tiffa ran to Pride rock as fast as she could; she needed to warn Kovu and Kiara!

"A child? What are you doing all the way out here?" the man asked. Alanna remained frozen in fear.

The man was tall and muscular; he wore tan colored shorts and a matching shirt as well as a pair of hiking boots. This man reminded her of someone who was on a safari. She noticed he had something slinged behind his shoulder. It was made out of both metal and wood. After a couple moments, Alanna realized it was a gun the man was carrying. Still frozen in fear, Alanna heard a familiar roar approaching the area; it was her father's roar! Kovu appeared on the scene, teeth and claws bared. In a flash, the man had his rifle in hand, ready to shoot.

"Come now little girl, get away from that thing before it kills you!" the man exclaimed, aiming his weapon at the lion.  
"No! Please don't shoot! Don't shoot my daddy!" Alanna pleaded, putting herself in the line of fire.  
"Your daddy? That's a lion, kid; he's not your father." the man laughed at the child's claim.  
"Yes he is!" the child argued as she clung onto her adoptive father.  
"Dustin! What on earth are you doing?" A man asked as he approached the scene with caution.  
"Well, I was going to take down this lion, but this little brat is in my way!" Dustin replied angrily.

The man wore similar attire to his comrade, but unlike him, he was slim and of average height. He was pale with fair hair and eyes the color of the sky. While he may have looked similar to the hunter, this man had no weapon. The man quickly noticed the little girl in which Dustin was referring to, clinging onto the dark-furred lion before him. The lion did not look menacing, in fact, he appeared to be protecting the child.

"Just leave them be, Dustin." The man attempted to convince his friend.  
"Why should I? Have you forgotten what that is? It's a lion! A carnivore! And you want to leave the kid with it? He'll end up eating her if we do that!" Dustin yelled.  
"What? No! Why would my daddy want to eat me? Besides, eating humans is forbidden in these lands." Alanna exclaimed, surprising the two men.  
"How could you possibly know that?" Dustin asked drily.  
"Let me handle this: what do you mean it's forbidden, child?" the other man asked calmly.  
"It's the law; my mommy's great-grandfather passed it a long time ago." She explained.  
"Your mother?" he asked once more, always keeping his calm and collected tone of voice.  
"Yeah," she affirmed.  
"Is she also a lion?" the man asked.  
"Technically, she's a lioness, but yeah." The child smiled.  
"That makes no sense." Dustin remarked.  
"Who told you that it's forbidden to eat humans here?" the man questioned.  
"My mommy," she replied.  
"But didn't you just say that your mother is a lioness? How could she have told you?" he asked.

Alanna pondered for a moment; what could she possibly say? She couldn't tell them the truth; they'd think she was crazy and definitely take her away from her parents. After a couple minutes, the five-year-old answered:

"I…just understand what they're telling me. I can't really explain how it works…"

Looking back and forth from the little girl and the lion, the man couldn't help but feel like she was meant to stay with him; as if this lion really did accept her as one of his own. It felt somewhat wrong to him to separate them.

"Well then…come on, Dustin, let's go" he said, grabbing his companion by the arm.  
"But Ed…" Dusting whined.

Once the two men were far enough, Kovu relaxed. He couldn't help but be proud of his daughter for standing her ground, and using her words to get out of that mess.

"Are you alright, Alanna?" he asked his daughter.  
"I'm fine, daddy." she affirmed.

With that, the young princess climbed onto her father's back and the two headed back to Pride rock.

Later on that day, Kovu and Kiara finally had a moment to themselves. Laying on large rocks at the base of Pride rock, the royal couple was alone at last.

"You know; our daughter is very brave." Kovu remarked.  
"She must take after you," Kiara chuckled lightly.  
"Or you; I've seen your bravery in action, Kiara." he replied, nuzzling his mate.  
"You know, for a while, I was afraid someone would come and take her away from us. After Tiffa told us about that hunter, I was starting to fear the worst." the lioness confided.  
"Tell me about it, but Alanna's stubborn; she wouldn't have let him take her unless she wanted to go with him." he smiled.  
"That's true," Kiara replied.  
"I'm pretty sure she gets it from you." he laughed, Kiara joining in as well.

In the great plains of the Pride lands, King Simba patrolled his lands, with his human grand-daughter sitting on his back. Simba enjoyed spending time with Alanna, and after the events of this morning, he thought Kovu and Kiara could use a little break. While she may be human, everyone in the pride accepted the little girl as one of their own.

"Hey grandpa," Alanna said, bringing Simba back from his thoughts.  
"Yes Alanna?" he replied.  
"How many kings have there been in the Pride lands?" she asked. Simba did enjoy when she would ask him questions in regards to the history of the Pride lands.  
"There have been countless kings, Alanna, but not all of them are remembered. The first king was King Mfalme, who found the Pride lands for his pride to live in after a horrible drought hit their homelands. King Mfalme and his mate; Queen Malkia had a son who became the next king after Mfalme passed and joined the stars. And the blood line has continued like that ever since." Simba explained.  
"Oh, so that means your daddy was king before you, right?" she asked in clarification.  
"That's right," Simba smiled.  
"But who's going to be king after you? Mommy can't be king; she's a girl." Alanna asked, making Simba chuckle at his grand-daughter's innocence.  
"No, but she will be queen of the Pride lands and your father will be the next king" he explained.  
"Oh, that makes more sense." She exclaimed.

Alanna wanted to ask the lion who was going to rule the Pride lands after her parents, but thought it would be best to save it for another time. She enjoyed learning about the Pride lands from Simba. He had already told her a few great tales from his father and grandfather's time as king. It was an equally enjoyable time for Simba to teach her the history of his lands and its rulers. The princess's thoughts returned to the events of earlier; that hunter wanted to take her away from her family—he wanted to kill her family! What scared her the most, was the man's gun. She hated those things ever since she's witnessed the damage they are capable of first hand. She was thankful to Tifa who went to find Kovu and Kiara when she did. Surprisingly, her parents weren't even upset with her; they were just relieved that she was alright.

"Grandpa, can I tell you something?" Alanna asked after a moment of silence.  
"Of course, Alanna." he replied.  
"I was really scared when that hunter appeared today." the child confided.  
"That must have been quite frightening. I think that hunter gave all of us a scare." Simba exclaimed.  
"Really? Even mommy and daddy?" she asked innocently.  
"Especially them; they thought they might lose you. We all did, but you proved yourself to be very brave today." Simba praised.

Reflecting on the event, Alanna beamed with pride for her actions; she stood her ground and attempted to talk things out before resorting to violence. One of the first things her parents thought her was to use violence as an absolute last resort, and to try to talk through any conflicts she may have.

By the time they returned to Pride rock, the sun had set and the five-year-old girl was starting to doze off on the lion king's back. Arriving to the den's entrance, Alanna thanked and hugged her grandfather, then went off to the back of the den to find her parents. Cuddled up next to her parents, Alanna fell asleep swiftly, thankful to have her family surrounding her.

 **A/N: Well there you have it! This was chapter 2 of "The Human Pride lander", and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! This would have been posted sooner, but school assignments were kind of starting to pile up, so I had to put my writing on the back-burner (being a university student is though!). Also, chapter 3 is in the works, but I'm not sure when that will be posted… anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll do my best to get chapter 3 done and posted!**

 **For your information, 'Malkia' means queen in Swahili and 'Mfalme' means king in Swahili (Thank-you Tenni for actually going on Google Translate for that during Classic Myth class!)**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Human Pride lander**

 **A/N: Here's chapter 3! Hope you guys like it! Also, I should warn you that this chapter gets pretty sad towards the end (my friend can attest that writing this chapter actually messed me up a bit), and I just want to say I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.**

 **I should probably mention that for the sake of this story, the ages of the lions/cubs aren't the same as they are in reality. I'm only modifying it because of Tifa and Alanna's friendship; I'd like them to grow up roughly at the same time and at the same pace, so for the sake of the story's plot, their aging will be slightly different.**

 **Disclaimer: TLK isn't mine, blah blah blah; we all know how this goes. Only my OC's belong to me.**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**

 **Chapter 3:**

North of what formally was the Outlands, a lion pride had been walking for days now. The pride's leader; a sand-colored lioness named Leah was determined to reach their destination; the boarders of the Pride lands. This pride consisted of about a dozen lionesses and one lion. Krooger joined their pride a few moons ago; he seemed to have been running from something, but none of the lionesses dared ask him, as to not upset or provoke them. He was a young, muscular lion with a brownish-auburn pelt and a dark brown mane; his eyes were the color of fresh blood.

"Leah, where are we going?" the lion asked, catching up to their leader.  
"We are going to a place where I can get one step closer to completing my plan." She replied harshly.  
"Leah, you must let go of this hate you have for him; it won't do you any good." A tan-colored lioness by the name of Callie cautioned.  
"No mother! What he did to us, he deserves everything that's coming to him!" Leah yelled, fury in her voice.

Callie sighed; there was no talking her daughter of out anything once she had her mind set on it. The older lioness wished her daughter wouldn't resort to violence first, but for whichever reason that's the only solution Leah ever saw. Callie walked beside her daughter in silence, wishing there was some way for her to change her mind.

Three years had passed since the encounter with the hunter, and Alanna was now eight-years-old, and training to hunt and fight with Kovu. She had been training since the scare with the hunter, and the child was good considering her age. Alanna also learnt how to make weapons to defend herself as well as how to skin her prey and turn the pelts into garments with the help of Rafiki.

Alanna was now fully accustomed to eating raw meat from the kill the hunting party brought home, and was also starting to genuinely enjoy the taste.

Alanna, Kovu and Kiara were out in the plains; Kovu and Alanna were play-fighting while Kiara watched the two with a smile. While the small family was enjoying their peaceful day together, a tan-furred lioness in which none of them recognized approached them, seemingly out of breath.

"Do…do you know…where I can find…S-simba? It's urgent!" the lioness asked, distress in her voice.  
"Who are you exactly and why do you need to see my father?" Kiara asked.  
"My name is Callie and I need to speak to him immediately! It's very important." she introduced.  
"I'll take you to him," Kiara replied as she rose from her spot and led the lioness to Pride Rock.

Climbing up the stone steps leading to the den, Kiara soon spotted her father just outside the cave entrance.

"Daddy, there's a lioness here who says she needs to speak to you." the princess informed her father.

As Kiara went down the steps to rejoin her mate and daughter, Simba finally saw the lioness in question. As his gaze met hers, he recognized her immediately.

"C-callie?" he asked in disbelief.  
"Hello Simba," she smiled.  
"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years." the lion king asked.  
"I came to warn you; my daughter is planning an attack of some sort and wants to kill you." she informed.  
"Your daughter?" he asked. His eyes widened in realization.  
"Callie, I…" Simba began, but was cut off by the lioness.  
"It's not your fault, Simba. You didn't know. Don't beat yourself up over it." Callie smiled reassuringly.  
"I take it she hates me for not being there for her?" he presumed.  
"She seems to have it in her head that you abandoned us; I've tried to explain to her that you were needed elsewhere, but she just wouldn't listen to me." she replied. Simba sighed.  
"Callie, had I known…" he began, only to be cut off once more.  
"Don't worry about it, Simba, really. I don't hold any of it against you." She exclaimed.  
"Simba," a voice called belonging to a crème colored lioness.  
"Nala, I'd like you to meet Callie; an old friend of mine. Callie, this is Nala; my mate." the lion introduced.  
"Pleased to meet you." Callie smiled.  
"The pleasure is all mine." Nala replied.  
"Anyway, I should be getting back; Leah will begin to get suspicious soon. Be on the look out alright? I have no idea what she's planning…" Callie exclaimed.  
"Of course. Thank-you for the warning, Callie. Be careful." Simba thanked the lioness as she made her way down Pride Rock, heading towards the Outlands.  
"What was that all about?" Nala asked once Kali was out of earshot.  
"She wanted to warn me that her daughter was planning an attack on some kind." he explained.  
"But why is she planning an attack to begin with? And why would Callie be telling us about it if it's her daughter?" Nala asked her mate. Simba fell silent.  
"She's your daughter too, isn't she?" Nala asked in realization.  
"Yes, she is. Look Nala, what happened between me and Callie was a long time ago; before you found me in the jungle. I didn't even know she was pregnant…" Simba attempted to defend.  
"Simba, relax. It doesn't matter what happened between the two of you; it's in the past." Nala reassured her king, nuzzling him affectionately.  
"Leah believes I abandoned her and Callie all those years ago, and now wants revenge." the king added.  
"Everything is going to be fine, Simba." the queen reassured.  
"I hope so," Simba mumbled.

Moons passed since Callie warned Simba about Leah's plans, and so far, it's been very quiet; not a single incident has occurred yet. Alanna's hunting and fighting skills have improved greatly. Nala paced around the den, she needed to tell him now.

' _I hope he understands…_ ' she thought to herself.

"What do you mean she's your daughter?" Simba asked his mate.  
"Exactly what I said, Simba. It was during Scar's reign, and he just..." Nala began to stammer, unable to speak.  
"It's okay, Nala. I didn't mean to upset you; I know that must bring up some bad memories. It doesn't even matter now; Scar is long-gone and won't be coming back anytime soon. I just wish you would have told me sooner." he consoled.  
"Simba, I couldn't have told you before now even if I wanted to. After everything that happened, I was afraid of how'd you react." she explained.  
"Nala, had I known this back then..." Simba began.  
"It wouldn't have changed anything, Simba. I'd lost her long before that…" Nala interrupted.  
"What are you talking about, Nala?" he asked, confused.  
"Simba, I abandoned her. When I left the Pride Lands and found you, I chose to leave her here; it was her best shot. I mean, I couldn't even guarantee food for myself out there, let alone her." the lioness explained, tears falling freely from her eyes.  
"That wasn't your fault, Nala. You did what you thought was best for her." he replied.  
"Perhaps, but it doesn't make it any less painful. I can't see her ever forgiving me for leaving her with Zira; I wouldn't." she retorted.  
"Have you spoken to Vitani about any of this?" Simba asked his mate.  
"No, I don't have the courage to even speak to her about this." she replied, completely unaware that her three children were just outside of the den listening in on their conversation.

Kiara, Kion, Kovu and Vitani glanced at one another for a moment. While Vitani had always known that Nala was her birth mother, Kiara had no idea.

"So…we're half-sisters?" the princess asked.  
"Yeah," Vitani replied.  
"And you knew about this the whole time?" Kion asked.  
"Yes," the lioness affirmed.  
"I don't hate her for doing what she did. I mean, for a while as a cub I did, but now I understand why she did it and now I know it's because she thought it would be my best shot at survival at the time. Zira may have raised me, but she wasn't my mother. She never genuinely cared about me; she always looked at me with disgust growing up. I realize now that my real mother did care about me, and that's why she made the choices she made." Vitani spoke after a moment of silence.  
"You should try to talk things out with her, Nala. I think it would do you both some good." Simba mumbled to his mate.  
"I know you're right, but it's not going to make this any easier." she replied before leaving the den. Once outside the den, Nala found the four young lions near the stone steps leading down Pride Rock and stopped them for a moment.  
"Vitani, can we talk for a minute?"

Vitani and Kiara had since bonded and became rather close as sisters, and her relationship with Nala improved- she had even begun to call her 'mom'. For a moment, the lurking threat of Leah's attack seemed to a vanished; there was peace in the Pride Lands.

One morning, while getting some water at the watering hole, Alanna heard what sounded like rustling grass a distance away. Not seeing anyone around, the young princess carried on.

Meanwhile in the tall grass nearby, Leah and Krooger were going over their plan for a final time.

"Now remember; I want Princess Kiara alive. She's of no use to us dead." Leah reminded the lion as he nodded in understanding.

The two scouted the area in hopes of finding their target, but to no avail. In the corner of her eye, Leah noticed a human girl by the watering hole.

' _That must be the human brat Kiara and her mate adopted!_ ' she thought to herself.

Impulsively, Leah snuck behind the child and delivered a massive blow to the head; rendering the young princess unconscious. As the lioness was placing the girl onto her back, Krooger approached.

"What are you doing, Leah?" he asked.  
"Change of plans; we're taking her instead." Leah replied.  
"She's just a kid, Leah. What good could she possibly do for us?" he asked.  
"She's not just any kid; she's Kiara's daughter, and Simba's grand-daughter. You can't honestly believe that he won't try to rescue her once they realize she's missing." the lioness grinned evilly.

With that, the two rogues returned to the Outlands swiftly, ensuring they were not seen. Hours passed, and Kovu and Kiara's worry increased when their daughter couldn't be found.

"We'll find her, Kiara." Kovu reassured his mate.  
"I hope you're right, Kovu…" she replied.

Simba sent out search parties in hopes of finding Alanna, but to no avail. Kion and the guard searched near the boarders of the pride lands, and even they had no luck. Simba then began to wonder if Leah had anything to do with his grand-daughter's disappearance. It had been extremely quiet in the Outlands as of late. Would Leah dare kidnap Alanna? Simba realized that this was most likely the case, and it was clearly a trap. The lion king then made a crucial choice; he would bring his grand-daughter home if it was the last thing he did.

Night fell in the Pride Lands, and there was still no sign of the human princess. Once he was certain no one would notice his absence, Simba sneaked out of the den, making his way towards the Outlands.

Alanna awoke in a strange place she's never seen before. She was inside of a cave with two lionesses standing guard outside. She'd never seen these lionesses before, and just wanted to go home to her parents. She wasn't even entirely sure what happened; one minute, she was getting a drink at the watering hole, the next she was hit on the back of the head, and everything went black. Then she woke up here, scared and alone. As the child whimpered, she heard two hard thumps coming from outside of the cave.

"Alanna?" Simba's voice called softly as he entered the cave.  
"Grandpa!" she exclaimed with relief, hugging the lion.  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
"I-I'm fine; I just want to go home." she replied.  
"Then let's go," Simba said, lowering himself to allow Alanna to sit on his back. Just as they were about to leave, a sand-colored lioness came and blocked their path.  
"I don't think so, Simba." she said, an evil smirk on her face.  
"Look Leah, whatever hatred and resentment you have towards me is fine, but leave her out of this! She's just an innocent child!" Simba attempted to reason with the lioness.  
"I could care less about that little runt; it's you I wanted!" she exclaimed in reply.  
"Then why take her when you could have just come after me?" the lion king asked.  
"Originally, we were planning on taking your pretty daughter hostage to lure you out, but this little brat just so happened to have been around at the time." she replied coldly.

Thinking quickly, Simba struck Leah down with his mighty paw, giving him a chance to make a run for it. The lion made it to the outskirts of the Pride Lands.

"Alanna go!" he instructed.  
"But what about you?" she asked in concern.  
"I'll be fine, just get back to Pride Rock." he replied.

After a moment, Alanna began to run. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and hoped she'd make it home before it was too late. Her grandfather saved her, now it was her turn to the same for him. Just as she made it to the den's entrance, her father was heading out.

"Alanna! Where have you been?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry or scolding; it was relieved.  
"Daddy! Grandpa's in trouble! He's in the Outlands and there's a mean lioness trying to hurt him." she replied.  
"What? Alanna, I need you to go and tell mommy and grandma what's going on, and that I'm going to the Outlands to help grandpa, alright?" Kovu asked his daughter who nodded in reply.

As Kovu left, Alanna went to find her mother and her grandmother. Once she informed them on the situation, Nala, Vitani and a few other lionesses set out for the Outlands to help Simba and Kovu. Kion assembled the guard and swiftly joined the others. Kiara and Alanna stayed behind, waiting

"It's okay sweetie. Everything's going to be fine." Kiara consoled her whimpering daughter.  
"That lioness...she really didn't like grandpa, or you mommy. She was really mad too..." Alanna stated.  
"Shh, it's okay Alanna. It doesn't matter now; it's going to be fine." the princess soothed her daughter.

After a short while, Alanna fell asleep cuddled up next to Kiara. While the young human slept, Kovu, Kion, and the others returned to Pride Rock with a fatally wounded Simba. As Kovu and Kion set Simba down in the den, Vitani arrived with Rafiki in tow. Leaving her sleeping child in the den with Nala, Kiara exited the den with Kovu and Kion.

"What happened?" she asked her mate.  
"Leah wasn't alone; I'm pretty sure she had her entire pride fighting against us. She was already fighting Simba when we arrived." he replied. Kiara sighed.  
"Those wounds looked pretty bad…" the princess mumbled.  
"I hate to say it, but I don't know if dad's gonna pull through, sis" Kion sighed.

At that moment, Rafiki exited the den and approached them.

"I have done all I can. It is up to the great kings now." the mandrill sighed, leaving the them with their thoughts.

 **A/N: I hate myself so much for this chapter. This was literally one of most emotional things I've written in a long time. (I did cry a few times while writing this chapter). I don't know if the content of this chapter is any good; I feel like it's inferior to my previous chapters, but I'm still mostly satisfied with it. Worst case, if it's really that inferior to my previous chapters, I'll just edit it and (hopefully) make it better.**

 **Until next time guys!**

 **-SerenaBlackmore98**


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